TradeRoute1 Centrifuge
= Nice Chain = Example Here's a modest trade-route chain on the small stock Centrifuge map (version 1.03). Note how 3 uncolonizable grav wells (in gray) are part of the 8-jump chain. "My" color is gold: This is probably not the highest trade this map can support; it's just an example of a chain going the long way around. All the asteroids are regular Asteroids; there are no Dead Asteroids on the map (except the Pirate Base). Because trade ports aren't modified by allegiance, there was no reason to go through Earth (my start world). Math If anyone is interested, here's an example of checking your trade-route math using the above example: *Game Income Rate is Normal (+15% vs. Slow values listed in most parts of this wiki) *No trade research (I'm Advent) *8 trade ports (1 per planet at 8 planets) *Longest chain number of jumps: 8 For individual trade ports: = Rate * ( ( 1 * Research ) + ( .075 * Jumps) ) = 1.15 * ( ( 1 * 1.00 ) + ( .075 * 8 ) ) = 1.15 * ( 1 + .600 ) = 1.8400 1.84 x 8 Trade Ports = 14.72. For the record, Sins always rounds numbers for display, but is keeping finer precision under the hood. That's why it's not 8 x 1.8 = 14.4; the value is actually 1.84. Also FWIW Sins uses the particular definition of "rounding" where, if a number is exactly 5 to the right of what it can display, it rounds up; anything less, it rounds down. So 1.85 (exactly) would've displayed as 1.9; 1.849 (exactly) would've displayed as 1.8. = Spam Results = Example Here's the same map / situation, but all 12 planets that can have a trade port, now have 1 trade port: Math Doing the math: *Game Income Rate still Normal (+15% vs. Slow values listed in most parts of this wiki) *Still no trade research *12 trade ports (1 per planet at 12 planets; no logistics slots at Pirate Base for Advent) *Longest chain number of jumps: 5 For individual trade ports: = Rate * ( ( 1 * Research ) + ( .075 * Jumps) ) = 1.15 * ( ( 1 * 1.00 ) + ( .075 * 5 ) ) = 1.15 * ( 1 + .375 ) = 1.58125 12 * 1.58125 = 18.975 So I made 4 more Trade Ports (12/8 = +50% TPs), but my income only went up by 29% (19.0/14.7). And individual trade ports now make 1.58 credits/second, not 1.84. Because the chain was shortened, it didn't pay off as well as one might've hoped. But it was still an overall increase in trade income, even if the new trade ports brought the individual income of trade ports down. Conversely, on big maps, it is possible to actually lose money if you mess up a real good trade chain. For an example, see this - but (Spoiler Alert) I really do advise playing all the stock large non-random maps first; this one has a fun twist.